Today I won my first ever auction for a coin

Agreed!

I read somewhere that Theodore Roosevelt found Ancient coins to be beautiful and wanted American coinage to be the same way which resulted in some of America’s most beautiful coins like the Morgan Dollar & St. Gaudens Double Eagle.

 

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You know, it's funny, I was going to say that exact thing. While I have a few of these ancients lying around loose, I'm not a collector of ancients, either, but I'd be all over this one if I saw it.

 

I’ll be honest I don’t really focus on one specific type of collection.

I just buy coins that I think are beautiful and represent a time period or place that I am interested in. For example 5th century BC Ancient Greece.

It blows my mind to think that a 2,400 year old coin survived to this day in mint condition.

 

You never won an auction for a coin before?

 

Nope.

I’ve always bought my coins outright from coin shops or online.

I have bid on a few coins before but I always lost the auction on them in the end.

 

Beautiful snag there! Love the owl... Ancients are amazing!

 

Yeah the owl is one of the symbols of Athena .

I agree they made amazing coins back in ancient times. Especially Greece & Rome.

 

That's a nice one to be the first one! I'm not into ancients but that looks fabulous. I couldn't even begin to count the auctions I've won.

 

Nice that's really unique

 

LOL, auctions can become addictive.

 

Only if you can afford them xD.

I think this will be my last coin for a few months until I can save up for another.

The next coin I’m planning on getting is a Roman gold aureus or a Byzantine gold solidus.

Not sure which one yet though. I guess it depends on what I find when I’m looking to buy.

 

I agree with that. Just the fact that it’s 2,400 years old makes it unique

Thanks mommy!
(That doesn’t sound right xD)

 

First, let me say I love your coin and have a couple of MUCH worse examples I also like, but it really isn't unique. It is one of the most popular ancient coins and that accounts for the prices being higher than for other coins of comparable age and mintage. Also check out the Alexander Tetradrachms, I think you'll like them too.


I know mine aren't that good, but I still like them!

 

I was actually checking out one of the Alexander ones but I think the one I saw was a gold stater not a tetradrachm.

 

I could live with that...

 

Maybe for my next coin

 

This is an awesome story! I had a nearly identical experience in my first auction buying a similar Attica Athens tetradracham (the one as my Avatar). I was simply browsing Heritage April Ancients auction trying to get a feel for how it works and to just enjoy looking at some pretty coins. Not knowing anything about ancient coins I simply fell in love with the big-eyed owl and overall form of these. I went through every option, tossed aside the obvious high-rollers and made a couple of early bids on a few "modest" ones. They were quickly outbid well above my comfort zone but I did land on one in XF that appealed to me and I figured I'd focus on that and go for it. I don't know what real collectors of these look for but I actually enjoy the extra material on the edges of the reverse and the relative large field above Athena's forehead. I went into the auction the high bidder and made one additional bid live and much to my surprise managed to get it for under $600 with BP. What a rush. I didn't realize it at the time, but it later came to me unslabbed. I didn't think they would auction them like this but I'm thrilled as I can hold it in my hands. I might send it in eventually but will enjoy it free and wild for a bit more. I also need to educate myself more on this coin, it's history and what the heck all the numbers at the end of the description mean. It may be the only ancient I ever buy but it will always be favorite coin.


ATTICA. Athens. Ca. 440-404 BC. AR tetradrachm (26mm, 17.21 gm, 1h). XF, brushed. Mid-mass coinage issue. Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet ornamented with three laurel leaves and vine scroll / AΘE, owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig with berry and crescent moon behind, all within incuse square. HGC 4, 1597. SNG Copenhagen 31-40. Kroll 8.

 

Well done, a gorgeous coin!